A Church Responds To Vandals With An LGBT Rainbow

Last month, up there in North Carolina, at the Wedgewood Church in Charlotte, someone spray-painted the front doors with the words:

Fags are Pedos.

Now, I don’t speak bigot, but I think they meant to say Homosexuals are pedophiles. Perhaps, as is the case with most homophobes, spelling doesn’t come easy, hence … pedos.

Still, it was a shock for parishioners at the church, known for its progressive views on religion; in fact, they even go so far as to post on their website that Wedgewood is a :::gasp::: “liberal” church, and brag that they actively opposed North Carolina’s ban on same-sex marriage, and believe that respecting LGBT people, members of other religions, and atheists as a “core beliefs.”  In fact, leaders added the phrase “LGBT Equality” to the church sign this summer, which no doubt lead to the graffiti.

“As a pastor I thought about all of the stories of rejection I’ve heard [from LGBT people] over the years.  That vandalism was a symbol of all of that negative stuff.” — Chris Ayers, the church’s pastor

And while Ayers called the incident “heart-piercing,” he and the members simply moved on as best they could, and set about to paint over the offensive, illiterate graffiti … with a rainbow flag.

“We didn’t want the focus to be on the damage to our church property, but on the damage that has been done to LGBT Christians through systematic abuse from so many — and, sadly, from so many denominations and Christians.”

Chris Ayers believes this new door means that “one’s sexual orientation and gender identity are not sins, but blessings from God [and] a celebration of the courage of LGBT people over the years to enable the progress that has been made recently. ... And, finally, it’s an example of positive, non-hateful response to homophobic people.”

The march goes on, and the folks at Wedgwood Church, lead by Pastor Ayers, are lighting the way …

Think Progress